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ABORATORY  MANUAL 
FIELD  "CROPS 

FARR 


C.   Z^  /  fLL  A  G.     J)f>  ft  /•? 


I  C. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON  •    CHICAGO  -    DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN   &   CO.,  LIMITED 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY  •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  LTD. 

TORONTO 


LABORATORY  MANUAL 
IN  FIELD  CROPS 


BY 


CHESTER   C.  FARR,  B.S. 

COUNTY  AGRICULTURAL  AGENT,  STATE  COLLEGE  OF 
WASHINGTON,  EVERETT,  WASHINGTON 


gorfc 

THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

1918 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1918, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  August,  1918. 


J.  8.  Cushing  Co.  — Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 
Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

FROM  the  introduction  of  Agriculture  into  the  curriculum  of 
our  schools  there  has  grown  a  demand  that  the  student  be 
brought  into  direct  contact  with  the  materials  he  deals  with 
in  his  courses ;  and  in  the  study  of  field  crops  there  is  a  need  for 
a  suitable  outline  to  follow  on  each  separate  division  of  the  work. 

The  author  of  this  manual  of  Field  Crops  worked  out  in  his 
own  class  room  and  with  the  advice  and  help  of  noted  agri- 
culturists, a  series  of  practicums  intended  to  acquaint  the  stu- 
dent with  some  of  the  most  important  phases  of  our  common 
field  crops. 

The  course  is  not  intended  to  equip  the  student  for  scientific 
research  work  but  for  what  we  choose  to  call  the  work  of  practi- 
tioner agriculturist,  and  a  very  large  number  of  those  who  study 
agriculture  for  four  years,  become  members  of  this  group.  For 
this  reason  the  student  of  field  crops  should  be  given  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  fundamentals  of  plant  growth  and  plant 
structure,  which  will  give  him  a  basis  for  interpreting  any  prob- 
lem presenting  itself  in  his  handling  of  field  crops. 

In  preparing  this  manual  the  author  is  indebted  to  the  fol- 
lowing books:  Hunt's  Cereals  in  America;  Bailey's  Cyclopedia 
of  American  Agriculture;  Wilson  and  Warburton's  Field  Crops; 
Shamel's  Corn  Judging  Manual;  Coburn's  Book  on  Alfalfa; 
Hunt's  Forage  and  Fibre  Crops;  Livingston's  Field  Crop  Pro- 
duction; Spillman's  Farm  Grasses  of  the  United  States;  Lyon 
and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  of  Grain. 


414608 


CONTENTS 

PRACTICUM  PAGE 

1.  To  STUDY  THE  SEEDLING  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MORE 

COMMON  PLANTS 1 

2.  To  STUDY  THE  EFFECT  OF  THE  DEPTH  OF  PLANTING  ON  THE  GER- 

MINATION OF  SEEDS 3 

3.  To  SHOW  THE  WIDE  VARIATION  IN  PLANTS       ....  4 

4.  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  CORN  KERNEL 5 

5.  How  TO  SELECT  CORN  SEED 6 

6.  To  CALCULATE  THE  COST  OF  PRODUCING  CORN         ...  8 

7.  To  TEST  THE  RESULT  OF  GRADING  CORN  SEED        .  .10 

8.  COMPARATIVE  JUDGING  OF  EAR  CORN 11 

9.  A  STUDY  OF  SOME  OF  THE  COMMON  DISEASES  AND  PESTS  OF  CORN  12 

10.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  WHEAT  HEAD 13 

11.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  WHEAT  PLANT 14 

12.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  WHEAT  KERNEL 15 

13.  A  STUDY  OF  YOUNG  WHEAT  PLANTS  IN  THE  FIELD  .        .        .17 

14.  JUDGING  OF  WHEAT  BY  SCORE  CARD 18 

15.  COMPARATIVE  JUDGING  OF  WHEAT 19 

16.  THE  STUDY  OF  FLOUR  AND  FLOUR  MANUFACTURE     .        .        .20 

17.  THE  STUDY  OF  THE  OAT  KERNEL 22 

18.  A  GENERAL  STUDY  OF  THE  OAT                                                   .  23 

19.  A  COMPARATIVE  STUDY  OF  THE  METHODS  OF  TREATING  CEREALS 

FOR  BUNT,  LOOSE,  OR  COVERED  SMUT    .                                 .  24 

20.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  OAT  PLANT .  26 

21.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  MARKET  GRADES  OF  OATS      .                         .  28 

22.  To  PRACTICE  COMPARATIVE  JUDGING  OF  OATS  ON  THE  STANDARD 

GRADES 29 

23.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  RYE  PLANT 30 

vii 


yiii  CONTENTS 

PBACTICUM  PAGE 

24.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF 

THE  COMMON  SORGHUMS 31 

25.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  COMMON 

FORAGE  CROP  SEEDS 33 

26.  IDENTIFICATION  OF  LEGUME  SEEDS  AND  THEIR  IMPURITIES  .        .    35 

27.  CLASSIFYING  IMPURITIES  IN  GRASS  SEEDS 36 

28.  A  STUDY  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MORE  COMMON  WEEDS  .        .        .37 

29.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  COMMON 

LEGUME  SEEDS 38 

30.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  ALFALFA  PLANT 39 

31.  AN  EXAMINATION  OF  COMMERCIAL  CLOVER  SEEDS     .        .        .40 

32.  AN  EXAMINATION  OF  COMMERCIAL  ALFALFA  SEED      .        .        .41 

33.  A  STUDY  OF  PERMANENT  PASTURE  GRASSES      .        .        .        .42 

34.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  VEGETATIVE  PORTIONS  OF  THE  COMMON  GRASSES    44 

35.  A  STUDY  OF  COMMERCIAL  TIMOTHY  SEED          .       ,.        .        .45 

36.  EXAMINATION  OF  SOME  OF  THE  COMMON  LEGUMES    .        .        .46 

37.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  CHARACTERISTICS  OF  SOME  OF  THE  COMMON 

GRASS  SEEDS 48 

38.  A  STUDY  OF  ROOT  CROPS 49 

39.  THE  USE  OF  THE  POTATO  AND  THE  QUALITIES  OF  GOOD  SEED  .        .  50 

40.  To  BECOME  FAMILIAR  WITH  DESIRABLE  QUALITIES  IN  MARKET 

POTATOES .51 

41.  A  STUDY  OF  CROP  ROTATION  PLANS 52 

42.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  FLAX 54 

43.  A  STUDY  OF  THE  COTTON 56 

44.  JUDGING  MARKET  COTTON 58 

APPENDIX    .        .        . 61 

WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES  WITH  EQUIVALENTS 62 

FORMULAS .62 

LEGAL  WEIGHT  PER  BUSHEL  OF  SEEDS   .,,..,  63 


INTRODUCTION 

WHERE  it  is  possible,  we  believe  it  is  desirable  to  have  the 
student  gather  the  materials  used  in  the  laboratory.  In  some 
cases  it  is  even  more  desirable  to  have  the  greater  part  of  the 
laboratory  in  the  fields  near  or  on  the  agrostology  plots. 

There  is  no  reason  why  each  high  school  that  carries  a  course 
in  field  crops,  should  not  have  a  few  agrostology  plots  where 
materials  that  are  difficult  to  obtain  can  be  grown,  thus  afford- 
ing fresh  material  for  the  work.  Suggestions  and  plans  for 
this  may  be  obtained  from  your  state  experiment  station. 

Each  student  should  provide  himself  with  a  large  loose-leaf 
notebook,  one  dozen  sheets  of  cross  section  paper,  one-half 
dozen  sheets  of  medium  grade  drawing  paper,  and  a  note  paper 
filler. 

All  exercises  should  be  followed  in  sequence  of  relationship, 
and  each  written  up  in  full  as  soon  as  completed.  A  plan  which 
proves  satisfactory  to  both  teacher  and  student  is  to  require 
the  description  of  each  experiment,  as  completed,  to  be  handed 
in  for  approval  or  correction.  It  should  be  returned  at  the 
opening  of  the  next  laboratory  period. 

A  list  of  selected  references  bearing  on  the  subject  is  given 
at  the  close  of  each  practicum.  From  a  thorough  study  of 
these  the  student  will  get  reliable  information  on  each  topic 
and  it  will  serve  to  open  up  the  vista  for  that  subject. 

It  is  assumed  that  the  student  has  some  knowledge  of  botany, 
and  this  course  should  illustrate  and  clarify  biological  principles 

learned  in  his  previous  study. 

ix 


X  INTRODUCTION 

The  following  is  a  list  of  apparatus  needed  to  equip  the  lab- 
oratory : 

6  hand-lenses 

12  1-pint  fruit  jars  (Mason,  with  screw  tops) 
1  torsion  balance 

1  drying  oven 

12  evaporating  dishes 
6  rulers 

2  tape  measures 
12  500-c.c.  beakers 
12  porcelain  pie  pans 

1  large  sheet  of  blotting  paper 

2  boxes  of  gummed  labels 

1  large  tin  can  for  seed  samples 
•J  yard  No.  19  bolting  cloth 

The  above  apparatus  may  be  obtained  from  the  following 
companies : 

Central  Scientific  Co.,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

University  of  Nebraska,  Department  of  Instructional  Agron- 
omy, Lincoln,  Nebraska. 

W.  M.  Welch,  Scientific  Company,  1516  Orleans  St.,  Chicago, 
Illinois. 

"We  are  indebted  to  the  Department  of  Agricultural  Journal- 
ism of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  College  and  to  the  United  States 
Department  of  Agriculture  for  the  cuts  shown  in  the  manual. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN 
FIELD  CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.   1     . 

Object.  To  Study  the  Seedling  Characteristics  of  Some  of  the 
More  Common  Plants. 

Materials.  Sand,  box  12"  by  12"  by  3",  germination  dishes, 
blotting  paper. 

Plant  several  seeds  each  of  wheat,  corn,  peas,  beans,  in 
moist  sand  in  the  box  and  set  in  a  warm  place;  keep  the 
sand  moist  and  watch  the  development  as  soon  as  the  first 
sprouts  appear  above  the  ground. 

Notice  which  bring  part  of  the  seed  above  the  ground  with 
them. 

Method.  Without  injury  to  the  young  plant,  clip  off  the 
greater  part  of  the  two  halves  of  some  of  the  beans  and  com- 
pare the  development  of  plants  thus  treated  with  those  which 
are  allowed  to  grow  normally. 

Place  a  dozen  kernels  of  wheat  between  wet  blotters  which 
have  been  cut  to  fit  the  inside  of  a  pie  plate;  invert  another 
pie  plate  over  the  first  and  set  this  germinator  in  a  warm  place 
for  a  few  days,  taking  care  that  the  paper  remains  moist. 

Place  several  seeds  in  a  similar  germinator,  which  has  been 
made  in  a  large-necked  bottle.  Cork  the  bottle  and  immerse 
B  1 


ANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS 


com^etfel^iii.  water  ;,.setcfcra>' warm  place,  being  sure  that  there 
is  enough  water  in  the  bottle  to  thoroughly  moisten  all  the 
seeds.  Determine,  in  comparison  with  the  sand  planting, 
what  the  effect  of  air  is  on  the  germination  of  seeds. 

In  a  blotter  germinator  similar  to  the  above,  place  some 
seeds  of  wheat  and  set  the  germinator  in  a  warm  place 
without  the  addition  of  water  to  the  blotters. 

STUDIES 

1.  Make  drawings  to  show  the  difference  in  the  characters 
and  types  of  the  various  seedlings. 

2.  What  do  you  conclude  in  regard  to  the  food  supply  neces- 
sary for  germinating  seeds,  as  proved  by  the  clipping  of  the 
cotyledons  of  some  of  the  beans? 

3.  What  factors  are  essential  to  germination  ? 

4.  What  essentials  in  plant  growth  are  not  essentials  in  the 
germination  of  the  seed  ? 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  408. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  5-21. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  2 

Object.  To  Study  the  Effect  of  the  Depth  of  Planting  on  the 
Germination  of  Seeds. 

Materials.  Corn,  wheat,  alfalfa  seeds,  a  box  12"  deep  with 
one  side  replaced  by  glass,  sand. 

Method.  Plant  the  seeds  in  the  sand  close  to  the  glass  in 
successive  depths  of  6",  4",  3",  2",  1",  \" .  Set  in  a  warm 
place  and  keep  wet. 

STUDIES 

1.  Which  sprouts  appear  above  the  surface  first? 

2.  Which  are  in  the  best  condition  when  they  appear,  as 
shown  by  the  color  of  their  leaves,  straightness,  etc.  ? 

3.  What  has  caused  the  difference  in  those  which  have  been 
planted  deeper  ? 

4.  What  influence  has  the  depth  of  planting  upon  the  root 
development  ? 

REFERENCES 

Wilson  and  Warburton's  Field  Crops,  p.  25. 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  3O-31. 


4  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  3 
Object.     To  Show  the  Wide  Variation  in  Plants. 

Materials.  Cross  section  paper,  ruler,  several  hundred 
ears  or  stalks  of  corn,  or  kernels  or  heads  of  wheat.  As  many 
examples  as  are  deemed  advisable  may  be  used. 

Method.  Accurate  measurements  are  to  be  made  and 
tabulated  in  the  field.  Standardize  the  graph  paper,  length- 
wise for  the  number  of  the  ears,  and  crosswise  for  the  inches. 
In  the  case  of  the  ears  of  corn,  graph  so  as  to  show  the  varia- 
tion in  the  length  and  in  the  diameter  at  the  middle  of  the  ears. 

STUDIES 

1 .  How  many  ears  are  there  of  the  same  diameter  ? 

2.  How  many  of  the  same  length  ? 

3.  What  are  the  ways  in  which  plants  may  be  improved  ? 

4.  Explain  how  the  breeders  of  plants  have  an  advantage, 
and  how  they  are  at  a  disadvantage,  in  comparison  with  animal 
breeders. 

5.  Explain  the  importance  of  environment  in  relation  to 
variation  in  plants. 

6.  What  is  Mendel's  law? 

7.  Name  some  of  the  corn  types. 

8.  How  may  one  avoid  wide  variation  in  plants  ? 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  3-21,  53. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  1-8. 

AtVincrm'a    Ttrdn-nii     r\     AQ7 


Atkinson's  Botany,  p.  497. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  5 

PRACTICUM  NO.  4 
Object.     The  Study  of  the  Corn  Kernel. 
Materials.     Samples  of  corn,  beakers,  alcohol  lamp,  scales. 

Method.  Soak  ten  grams  of  corn  in  warm  water  until  the 
outer  coating  can  be  easily  torn  off.  Separate  the  following 
parts :  testa,  starch,  embryo,  endosperm.  Dry  these  parts  in 
the  oven  at  a  slow  temperature  for  several  hours,  and  then 
determine  the  percent  of  kernel  made  up  by  each  part.  (Check 
your  residue  on  the  original  sample.) 

(1)  From  seeds  which  have  been  soaked  until  they  may  be 
easily  cut  in  pieces,  make  a  drawing  of  a  lateral  cross  section 
and  label  all  parts. 

(2)  Make  a  drawing  of  a  side  section  and  label  all  parts. 

STUDIES 

1.  Name  ten  products  obtained  from  the  kernel  of  corn. 
Tell  from  what  part  each  is  obtained. 

2.  From  what  part  of  the  kernel  are  the  most  nutritious 
foods  obtained  ? 

3.  What  is  the  aleurone  layer  on  the  kernel,  and  where  is  it 
found  in  reference  to  the  other  layers  ? 

REFERENCES 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  p.  325. 

Wilson  and  Warburton's  Field  Crops. 

American  Corn  Products  Company's  Corn  Products. 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  298. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  51-53. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL   IN  FIELD  CROPS 


•       I 


*  2?     *«    f* 


SOME  COMMON  TYPES  OF  KERNELS 
(Showing  lateral,  germ  end,  and  endosperm  end  cross  sections.) 


PRACTICUM  NO.  5 
Object.     How  to  Select  Corn  Seed. 

Materials.  Score  card  on  corn,  eight  ears  of  corn  for  each 
member  of  the  class.  (Score  card  may  be  obtained  from  the 
state  experiment  station.) 

Method.  Score  eight  ears  by  the  use  of  the  score  card,  after 
making  sure  that  you  understand  all  the  terms  used.  (See 
Shamel's  Corn  Judging  and  Shoesmith's  The  Study  of  Corn.) 

Make  a  germination  test  of  each  ear ;  after  ten  days  make  a 
reading  of  the  test  to  determine  which  are  dead  and  which  are 
active. 

STUDIES 

1.  Judging  from  these  tests  and  scores,  which  ears  would  be 
the  best  to  plant  ? 

2.  From  the  poorest  ear,  what  would  be  the  cost  of  the  live 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  7 

seed  per  pound,  if  the  corn  sold  for  3  cents  per  pound  on  the 
ear? 

3.  Outline  the  methods  best  suited  for  the  care  of  seed  corn 
in  your  section.     (See  Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  323.) 

4.  Explain  the  following  terms  in  the  score  card :  uniformity, 
market  condition,  proportion  of  corn  to  cob,  uniform  kernel. 

5.  Give  the  necessary  rules  for  scoring. 

6.  What  constitutes  a  bushel  of  corn  ? 

7.  Of  what  importance  is  shrinkage? 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  249,  409. 
Shamel's  Corn  Judging. 
Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  199,  81,  229,  253. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  415,  Corn  Seed. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  81. 

SCORE  CARD  FOR  JUDGING  CORN 

Type  and  uniformity 10 

Maturity  and  market  condition 10 

Purity  of  kernel .  5 

Purity  of  cob 5 

Shape  of  ear 10 

Length  of  ear 10 

Circumference  of  ear 5 

Shape  of  kernel 5 

Uniformity  of  kernel 5 

Character  of  germ f.     .     .     .  10 

Butts     .     .     . 5 

Tips 5 

Space  between  rows 5 

Size  of  cob 10 

Total    .  100 


Student's  name, 

Date, Standing, 


(The  variety  standard  for  length  and  circumference  of  the  ear  should 
be  obtained  by  writing  to  your  state  experiment  station.) 


8  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  6 
Object.     To  Calculate  the  Cost  of  Producing  Corn. 

Method.  This  laboratory  exercise  is  intended  to  acquaint 
the  student  with  the  factors  to  be  taken  into  consider- 
ation in  calculating  the  cost  of  producing  a  crop,  and  to  get 
estimates  on  the  cost  of  production  for  the  locality.  (This 
exercise  may  be  worked  out  for  the  most  important  crop  of  the 
community.) 

Include :     Interest  on  the  investment  at  5%. 

Cost  of  seed  at  3  cents  per  pound. 

Water  right  and  maintenance  charges  in  the  case  of  irriga- 
tion. 

Taxes. 

Labor  of  preparing  the  soil. 

Cost  of  implements,  counting  depreciation  at  10  %  per 
annum. 

Value  of  horses,  depreciation  10  %  per  annum. 

When  manures  are  applied,  charge  only  that  part  used  in 
the  production  of  the  crop,  viz. :  if  six  tons  are  applied  every 
other  year,  only  half  of  the  cost  of  the  fertilizer  should  be  borne 
by  one  year's  crop. 

STUDIES 

1.  What  profit  would  be  realized  from  the  average  state 
yield  at  one  cent  per  pound  for  the  corn  ? 

2.  Where  in  the  cost  account  could  the  farmer  most  readily 
reduce  the  expense  of  production  ? 

3.  If   the    expenditure    of    one    ton    of    manure    per    acre 
at  $1.50    per  ton,  labor   included,   produced   an   increase   of 
one-third    in   the   crop,   what   would   be   the   result    on    the 
profits? 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  9 

REFERENCES 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,    Yearbook   1913,  Average 
yields  per  acre. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  61-71,  54. 
Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  303,  313,  414. 
Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  398-427. 


10  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  7    . 
Object.     To  Test  the  Result  of  Grading  Corn  Seed. 

Materials.  Corn  on  the  cob,  access  to  a  corn  planter  at  a 
near-by  hardware  store  or  on  a  farm. 

Method.     Shell  one  ear  with  all  the  kernels. 

Shell  another  ear  and  grade  the  seeds  to  uniform  size. 

Run  both  samples  through  the  machine  by  propping  the 
machine  off  the  floor  and  turning  the  wheels. 

Calculate  the  number  of  hills  in  one  hundred  (or  the  per- 
centage of  hills  dropped)  which  contain  either  more  or  less  than 
the  regulation  number  of  kernels. 

STUDIES 

1.  What  effect  would  this  grading  have  on  your  stand  of 
corn? 

2.  How  many  more  pounds  of  seed  would  be  required  to 
plant  an  acre  with  the  ungraded  seed  ? 

3.  What  would  the  grading  per  bushel  be  worth,  i.e.   how 
much  more  could  you  afford  to  pay  for  graded  seed,  if  you 
consider  only  the  amount  of  land  one  bushel  will  sow? 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  11 

PRACTICUM  NO.  8 
Object.     Comparative  Judging  of  Ear  Corn. 

Materials.  A  large  number  of  ears  of  corn,  at  least  eight 
for  every  two  members  of  the  class. 

Method.  This  work  should  be  done  individually  and  with- 
out reference  to  the  manual.  Place  the  ears  in  the  order  of 
their  merit,  and  write  your  criticisms  of  each  of  the  first  three, 
telling  why  you  placed  the  ears  in  that  order.  (As  much  of 
this  work  may  be  done  as  is  deemed  advisable ;  at  least  two  or 
three  laboratory  periods  are  recommended.) 

REFERENCES 
Shamel's  Corn  Manual. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  92. 
Shoesmith's  The  Study  of  Corn. 


12  LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  9 

Object.  A  Study  of  Some  of  the  Common  Diseases  and  Pests 
of  Corn. 

Materials.  Mounted  specimens  of  the  common  insects: 
earworm,  root  louse,  chinch  bug,  click  beetle  or  wire  worm. 
Mounted  or  dried  specimens  of  the  corn  smut  and  ear  mold. 

Method.  A  great  deal  of  time  should  be  spent  in  reference 
work  and  in  becoming  familiar  with  the  life  history  of  the  in- 
sects and  the  fungi. 

STUDIES 

1.  From  the  references  at  hand,  write  an  article  of  at  least 
500  words  on  one  of  the  common  corn  pests  or  diseases  in  your 
State. 

2.  How  do  the  grasshoppers  survive  the  winter  ? 

3.  What  are  the  most  important  features  in  the  life  history 
of  the  corn  earworm  ? 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  p.  35. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  248. 
Weed's  Life  History  of  Insects. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  93. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  13 

PRACTICUM  NO.  10 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Wheat  Head. 
Material.     Preserved  wheat  heads,  several  for  each  student. 

Method.  Examine  the  heads  of  wheat.  Remove  the  follow- 
ing-parts, make  drawings,  and  define  empty  glume,  flowering 
glume,  palea,  rachis,  spikelet. 

For  the  head  of  wheat  make  the  following  determinations : 

1.  Number  of  spikelets  in  each  spike. 

2.  Number  of  flowers  in  each  spikelet. 

3.  Number  of  empty  glumes  in  each  spikelet. 

4.  How  does  the  flowering  glume  differ  from  the  palea  ? 
Make  a  sketch  of  an  empty  glume  to  show  beak,  shoulder, 

auricle. 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  373,  660-670. 
Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  26-137. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  104. 
Farmers  Bulletins  Nos.  210,  466. 


14  LABORATORY  MANUAL   IN  FIELD  CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   11 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Wheat  Plant. 

Materials.     Wheat  plants  in  the  field  or  dried  plants  in  the 
laboratory. 

Method.     Make  the  determinations  and  measurements  from 
the  material,  and  record  in  tabular  form  in  your  notebooks. 

1.  Length  of  spike,  average  of  five  spikes. 

2.  Shape,  side  view :  square,  flattened  with  the  spike. 

3.  Shape,  end  view  :  square,  flattened  with  the  spike. 

4.  Number  of  sterile  spikelets  and  where  found  ? 

5.  Awns :  length. 

6.  Awns  :  slender,  medium,  stout. 

7.  Awns  :  parallel,  spreading. 

8.  Awns  :  deciduous,  persistent. 

9.  Awns :  light  yellow,  dark. 

10.  Spikelet :  compact,  spreading,  widely  spreading. 

11.  Spikelet :  number  of  grains  in  average  of  five. 

12.  Basal  hairs :  long,  short,  medium,  wanting,  color. 

13.  Outer  glume  :  color. 

14.  Outer  glume  :  smooth,  hairy,  spinose. 

15.  Outer  glume  :  wide,  narrow. 

16.  Length  of  outer  glume  :  medium,  long. 

17.  Attachment  of  outer  glume  :  firm,  weak. 

18.  Beak :  long,  medium,  short. 

19.  Shoulder  :  broad,  medium,  narrow. 

REFERENCE 
Hunt's  Cereals  in  America. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL   IN  FIELD   CROPS  15 


PREPARED  SAMPLES  FOR  CLASS  USE 


PRACTICUM  NO.   12 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Wheat  Kernel. 
Material.     Samples  of  grain  from  several  varieties. 

Method.     Examine   the   samples,   and   tabulate   the   deter- 
minations for  each  variety  in  your  notebooks. 

1 .  Density :  hard,  very  hard,  horny,  dull,  starchy. 

2.  Appearance  of  cross  section  :  horny,  dull,  starchy. 

3.  Weight  of  seed,  average  of  one  hundred  seeds. 

4.  Ratio  of  length  to  width.     Divide  length  of  25  grains  by 
the  width  of  25  grains,  crease  downward.     (Use  cross  section 
paper.) 

5.  Shape :  straight,  curved,  pear-shaped. 


16  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 

6.  Plumpness  :  plump,  medium,  shriveled. 

7.  Cheeks  :  flat,  plump,  angular. 

8.  Tip  :  pointed,  blunt.     . 

9.  Base  :  pointed,  blunt. 

10.  Crease  :  deep,  medium,  shallow ;  wide,  narrow. 

11.  Brush:  large,  small,  short,  long. 

12.  Color  of  grain :  yellow,  light  yellow,  clear  amber,  dull 
amber,  clear  red,  dull  red. 

METHOD  OF  TABULATION  IN  THE  NOTEBOOKS 


No.  OF  QUES. 

VARIETY  NAME 

VARIETY  NAME 

VARIETY  NAME 

REMARKS 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  210. 
Dolinger's  Book  on  Wheat. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  107-137. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  17 

PRACTICUM  NO.   13 
Object.     The  Study  of  Young  Wheat  Plants  in  the  Field. 

Material.  To  be  worked  in  the  field  on  half  matured 
plants.  It  is  advised  that  as  many  varieties  as  possible,  com- 
mon to  the  community,  be  used  for  this  study,  in  order  that  the 
student  may  become  familiar  with  the  variety  characteristics  of 
the  young  plants. 

Method.     Tabulate  the  description  of  the  different  varieties. 

1 .  Color :  light   green,   dark   green,   yellowish   green,    light 
gray  green,  medium  gray,  dark  gray  green. 

2.  Length  of  leaf  blade,  average  of  10  blades. 

3.  Width  of  blades,    average  of  10  blades  at  the  widest 
place. 

4.  Leaf  blade  :  erect,  ascending,  drooping. 

5.  Leaf  blade  :  smooth,  rough,  downy. 

6.  Leaf  blade :  veins  prominent,  veins  not  prominent. 

7.  Leaf  blade :  end  tapering,  end  parallel  with  the  sides. 

8.  Leaf  sheath :  green,  green  shading,  purple. 

9.  Ligule  :  white,  purple. 

10.  Ligule :  2^  mm.  long,  2  mm.  long,  3  mm.  long. 

11.  Auricles:  white,  green,  purple  tips,  purple. 

12.  Auricles :  hairy,  partly  hairy,  smooth. 

13.  How  many  culms  in  each  crown?  (average  of  ten). 

14.  How  many  crowns  in  each  square  yard  ? 

15.  Do  you  consider  this  a  good  or  poor  stand  ? 


18  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   14 
Object.     Judging  of  Wheat  by  Score  Card. 
Materials.     Several  samples  of  wheat  of  market  grading. 
Method.     Score  each  sample  according  to  the  score  card. 

STUDIES 

1.  What   are  the  requirements   for   each  of  the   following 
market  grades  of  wheat :  No.  1,  No.  2,  No.  3  ? 

2.  What  are  the  market  requirements  in  regard  to  smut  ? 

3.  What  is  meant  by  dockage  in  selling  wheat  ? 

4.  What  are  the  differences  in  quality  of  the  hard  and  soft 
wheats  ? 

REFERENCES 

Standard  grades  of  grain  by  State  Commission  of  Grain  and   Hay 

Inspection. 

Dolinger's  Book  on  Wheat. 
Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  38-41. 
Grades  of  Grain;  National  Grain  Dealers  Association,  —  5jf  per  copy, 

J.  F.  Coucier,  Secretary,  Toledo,  Ohio. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  386. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  19 

PRACTICUM  NO.  15 
Object.     Comparative  Judging  of  Wheat. 

Materials.  One  pint  samples  of  wheat,  small-sized  grain 
tester. 

Method.  The  weights  per  bushel  may  be  ascertained  be- 
fore the  work  is  started  by  the  use  of  the  grain  tester  and 
written  on  all  samples. 

This  work  should  be  individual  and  should  be  completed  in 
a  limited  amount  of  time,  depending  upon  the  number  of 
samples  to  be  judged. 

The  samples  are  to  be  placed  in  the  order  of  their  merit, 
as  on  a  milling  basis,  and  reasons  given  for  the  first  three 
placings. 

No  score  cards  are  to  be  used.  The  work  is  to  be  handed  to 
the  instructor  at  the  end  of  the  allotted  time. 

REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  141. 


20  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   16 
Object.     The  Study  of  Flour  and  Flour  Manufacture. 

Materials.  Samples  of  whole  wheat  flour,  bleached  flour, 
graham  flour,  and  corn  meal,  microscope,  No.  19  bolting  cloth . 

Method.  A  very  valuable  addition  to  this  exercise  is  a  trip 
to  a  near-by  flour  mill,  if  convenient.  A  written  report  of  the 
methods  as  observed  by  the  student  should  be  required. 

Examine  all  of  the  samples  supplied  and  determine  the  fol- 
lowing, tabulating  the  results  in  the  notebooks : 

1.  Granulations,    under    high-power    microscope:      round, 
angular,  square. 

2.  Amount  in  a  ten  gram  sample  which  will  pass  through 
a  No.  19  bolting  cloth. 

3.  Color,  on  plate  glass  under  the  disect. 

4.  Percentage  of  gluten  in  a  ten  gram  sample.     Determine 
by  the  wash  method  as  follows  : 

Weigh  out  a  ten  gram  sample  and  place  in  an  evaporating 
dish ;  mix  into  a  stiff  dough  and  keep  adding  more  w^ater, 
slowly  working  the  mass  until  you  have  washed  out  all  of  the 
starch,  which  is  proved  by  the  failure  to  get  a  blue-colored 
reaction,  when  a  weak  solution  of  iodine  is  added  to  the  wash 
water.  (Be  careful  that  none  of  the  sticky  gluten  is  washed 
away.)  When  the  starch  has  been  washed  out,  squeeze  all 
the  water  possible  from  the  mass  of  gluten  and  weigh.  Place 
in  the  oven  and  when  dry,  weigh  and  determine  the  percentage 
of  dry  gluten  in  the  flour  of  the  original  sample. 

STUDIES 

1.  What  parts  of  the  kernel  make  up  the  whole  wheat  flour? 

2.  What  relation  does  gluten  have  to  bread  making  ? 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  21 

3.  Describe  the  process  of  flour  making  in  the  different  phases 
and  the  machinery  used  for  each  phase. 

REFERENCES 

Encyclopedia  Britannica,  Flour  Manufacture. 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  113-121. 

Charts  on  milling  from  Washburn  Crosby  Co.,  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  115. 


22  LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   17 
Object.     The  Study  of  the  Oat  Kernel. 

Materials.     Samples  of  several  varieties  of  oats;     sample 
of  clipped  oats. 

Method.    Make  the  following  comparisons  in  your  note- 
books. 

STUDIES 

1.  In  what  ways  does  the  oat  grain  differ  from  that  of  the 
wheat  ? 

2.  In  what  ways  does  the  oat  kernel  differ  from  that  of  the 
wheat  ? 

3.  What  botanical  parts  of  the  oat  are  persistent  with  the 
kernel  ? 

4.  Make  a  test  of  the  samples  given  in  order  to  determine 
the  percentage  of  kernel  to  hull. 

5.  Which  sample  would  be  the  best  for  food  ? 

6.  What  would  be  the  difference  in  price  if  the  clipped  oats 
sold  for  60  £  Per  bushel,  that  is,  how  much  could  you  afford  to 
pay  for  clipping  the  oats? 

REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  145-150. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  23 

PRACTICUM  NO.  18 
Object.     A  General  Study  of  the  Oat. 
Materials.    Reference  material. 

Method.     Research  the  reference  material  thoroughly  and 
prepare  a  paper  including  study. determinations. 

STUDIES 

1.  What  are  the  botanical  differences  between  the  oat  and 
the  wheat  plants? 

2.  To  what  genus  does  each  belong  ? 

3.  What  is  the  composition  of  the  oat?     Compare  its  com- 
position with  the  wheat  and  the  barley. 

4.  Discuss  the  importance  of  the  oat  crop  in  comparison 
with  the  other  cereal  crops.     (Given  in  the  Year  Book  for 
1913.) 

5.  To  what  uses  are  oats  put,  in  comparison  with  wheat 
and  corn  ? 

6.  Give  the  economic  importance  of  the  oat  smut  in  the 
United  States,  and  give  methods  best  adapted  to  its  control. 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  250,  436,  507. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  p.  485. 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  280-317. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Year  Book  1913. 

Gray's  Field  Botany. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  145-150. 


24 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.   19 


Object.  A  Comparative 
Study  of  the  Methods  of  Treat- 
ing Cereals  for  Bunt,  Loose, 
or  Covered  Smut. 

Materials.  Seeds  of  oats 
or  wheat;  copper  sulphate 
(blue  vitriol)  ;  formalin  (40% 
solution  of  formaldehyde). 

Method.  Immerse  several 
hundred  seeds  for  ten  minutes 
in  a  solution  of  copper  sul- 
phate made  in  .the  proportion 
of  one  pound  to  five  gallons 
of  water. 

Allow  the  seeds  to  drain  in 
a  cloth  or  basket. 

Test  duplicate  samples  of 
treated  and  untreated  seeds 
in  a  germinator  and  tabu- 
late the  results  as  shown  in 
the  form  on  the  opposite 
page. 

In  a  similar  manner  make  a  germination  test  of  a  sample 
of  the  same  seeds,  which  have  been  immersed  for  ten  minutes 
in  water  at  133°  F.  and  quickly  cooled  by  plunging  into  cold 
water. 

Also  make  a  germination  test  of  seeds  which  have  been 
sprinkled  with  formalin,  and  kept  in  a  closed  box  for  30  minutes, 
or  tightly  covered  with  a  cloth  for  1  hour. 


SMUT  ON  OATS 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  25 


PERCENTAGE  or  GERMINATION 

No.  1 

No.  2 

AVERAGE 

Untreated  seed 

Copper  sulphate  treated     .... 
Hot  water  treated 

Formalin  treated  

STUDIES 

1 .   What  do  you  conclude  as  to  the  effect  of  these  treatments 
on  the  viability  of  the  seeds  ? 


26  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  20 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Oat  Plant. 
Materials.     Dried  specimens  of  oat  panicles. 

Method.     Examine   dry   panicles   which   are   at   hand   and 
answer  the  following  in  tabular  form  in  your  notebooks. 

1.  Length  of  panicle,  average  of  five  panicles. 

2.  Number  of  whorls,  average  of  five  panicles. 

3.  Number  of  main  branches,  average  of  five  panicles. 

4.  Number  of  spikelets,  average  of  five  panicles. 

5.  Variation  in  the  length  of  the  pedicle .  .    to 

inches. 

6.  Number  of  grains,  average  of  five  panicles.     (Reserve 
until  the  last.) 

7.  Number  of  grains  per  spikelet. 

8.  Weight  of  grains,  average  of  five  panicles  of  100  grains  each. 

9.  Relative  size  of  lower  and  upper  grains. 

Weight  of  25  upper  grains, 

Weight  of  25  lower  grains, 

10.  Percentage  of  kernel, ;  weight  of  100  grains, 

;    weight  of  100  kernels, ;    percentage 

of  kernel  to  grain,  ." 

11.  Plumpness  of  kernel:   plump,  medium,  inflated. 

12.  Flowering  glume :   thick,  medium,  thin. 

13.  Length  of  25  grains  from  base  to  tip  of  flowering  glume ; 
from  the  base  to  the  tip  of  the  kernel, 

14.  Density,  determined  by  the  grain  tester,  or  by  weighing 
an  exact  number  of  cubic  inches,  and  reducing  to  weight  per 
bushel. 

15.  Color  of  the  grain :    light  yellow,  gray,  reddish  brown, 
black. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD   CROPS  27 

16.  Diameter  of  the  rachis,  average  of  five. 

17.  Depth  of  furrow  below  the  branches  :  furrowed,  medium, 
smooth. 

18.  Wall  of  culm  :  thick,  medium,  thin. 

19.  Panicle  :  open,  partly  open,  closed. 

20.  Flowering  glume :  beardless,  partly  bearded,  bearded. 

REFERENCES 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  144-150. 

Lyon  and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  Grain,  pp.  51-55. 


28 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  21 
Object,     A  Study  of  the  Market  Grades  of  Oats. 
Materials.     Four-ounce  samples  of  market  oats ;  score  card. 

Method.  From  the  state  standard  grades  of  oats  as  estab- 
lished by  the  state  commission  of  grades  and  grains,  and  by 
use  of  the  score  card  make  scorings  of  at  least  four  of  the  dif- 
ferent samples. 

STUDIES 

1 .  What   are  the   requirements  for  the   following  grades  ? 
Numbers  1,  2,  3,  4  and  feed? 

2.  What  precautions  in  harvesting  will  prevent  off-color  in 
oats? 


SCALE  OF  POINTS 

PERFECT 

NUMBER  OF  SAMPLE 

1.  Uniformity  of  grains    .     . 
2.  Color     

10 
10 

3.  Size  and  plumpness      .     . 
4.  Percent  hull    

15 
15 

5.  Percent  foreign  matter     . 
6.  Percent  damaged  grain 
7.  Weight  per  bushel 

15 

15 
20 

Total  

100 

REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  148. 


LABORATORY  MANUAL  IN  FIELD  CROPS  29 


PRACTICUM  NO.  22 

Object.  To  Practice  Comparative  Judging  of  Oats  on  the 
Standard  Grades. 

Materials.     One  quart  of  samples  of  market  oats. 

Method.  Follow  the  same  method  as  outlined  for  the  com- 
parative judging  of  wheat  in  Practicum  No.  15,  p.  19.  In- 
dividual work  is  very  important  in  this  practicum. 

Weigh  out  a  ten  gram  sample,  separate  from  the  grain  all 
the  foreign  matter,  weed  seeds,  straw,  dirt,  etc.,  and  then  de- 
termine the  percentage  of  pure  seed  by  weight. 

Determine  by  the  germination  test  the  percentage  of  viable 
seeds  in  forty-eight  hours. 

The  percentage  of  viable  multiplied  by  the  percentage  of 
pure  seeds  equals  the  percentage  of  pure  viable  seeds  in  the 
sample. 

STUDIES 

1 .  Of  what  value  is  the  pure  viable  seed  test  ? 

REFERENCES 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  374-377. 

Lyon  and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  Grain,  pp.  94-99. 


30          -LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   23 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Rye  Plant. 

Materials.     Matured  plants  in  the  field,  or  the  entire  matured 
plant  dried  in  the  laboratory. 

Method.     Make  a  study  of  the  plant,  and  tabulate  the  fol- 
lowing data  in  your  notebooks : 

1.  Height  of  the  culm,  average  of  ten  culms  to  the  tip  of 
the  awn. 

2.  Culm :   diameter  below  the  spike,  average  of  ten  culms. 

3.  Wall  of  culm  compared  with  the  oat :  thick,  medium,  thin. 

4.  Foliage  compared  with  that  of  the  wheat :    scanty,  me- 
dium, abundant. 

5.  Is  there  any  rust  present  ?    If  so,  what  percentage  of  the 
leaves  are  affected  ? 

6.  Is  there  any  ergot  present?     If  so,  what  percentage  of 
the  heads  are  affected? 

7.  Spike :  erect,  leaning,  nodding. 

8.  Length  of  spike,  average  of  ten  spikes   from  the  lower 
part  of  the  rachis  to  the  tip  of  the  outer  glume. 

9.  Number  of  grains  per  spikelet. 

10.  Number  of  grains  per  spike,  average  of  ten  spikes. 

11.  Weight  of  100  grains. 

12.  Size  :  length  of  ten  grains,  width  of  ten  grains. 

13.  Plumpness:    plump,  medium,  shrunken. 

14.  What  is  the  standard  weight  per  bushel  for  rye  ? 

15.  Make  a  drawing  of  the  outer  glumes  of  wheat  and  rye 
for  comparison. 

REFERENCES 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  345-355. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  p.  375. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  177-181. 


LABORATORY    MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  31 


PRACTICUM  NO.  24 

Object.     A  Study  of  the  General  Characteristics  and  Impor- 
tance of  the  Common  Sorghums. 

Materials.     Dried  plants,  panicles,  seeds  of  the  most  im- 
portant sorghums. 

Method.     Make    a    study    of    the    samples    and    write   a 
report. 

STUDIES 

1.  Name  three  general  groups  of  sorghums  according  to  the 
products  obtained  from  them.     Name  three  plants  in  each 
group. 

2.  Describe  and  compare  the  inflorescence  of  the  sorghums 
with  that  of  the  wheat. 

3.  How  does  the  composition  of  the  kernel  compare  with 
that  of  corn?     Would  it  be  more  or  less  valuable,  pound  for 
pound,  as  food? 

4.  Discuss  briefly  the  following  plants  related  to  the  sor- 
ghums :     Sudan   grass    (  Year   Book   1912) ;     Johnson   grass ; 
Kafir  corn;  Milo  maize;  Broom  corn  (Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of 
American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  367-380). 

5.  Make  a  rough  sketch  of  a  sorghum  panicle  to  show  the 
principal  parts. 

REFERENCES 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Year  Book  1912. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  367-380. 

Farmers'  Bulletins,  No.  322,  Milo  Maize;  No.  246,  Saccharine  Sor- 
ghums ;  No.  458,  Sweet  Sorghums  for  Forage ;  No.  448,  Sorghums 
for  Grain ;  No.  288,  Non-saccharine  Sorghums ;  No.  50,  Sorghums 
as  Forage ;  No.  174,  Broom  Corn. 


32  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America,  pp.  384-399. 
Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  Bulletin  No.  175. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  225-235. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  33 


PRACTICUM  NO.  25 

Object.  A  Study  of  the  Characteristics  of  Some  of  the  Com- 
mon Forage  Crop  Seeds. 

Materials.  Four-ounce  samples  of  seed  of  the  following : 
timothy,  red  clover,  white  clover,  alfalfa,  vetch,  blue  grass. 

Method.  Examine  each  under  the  disect  lens,  and  write 
up  the  description  in  tabular  form,  as  outlined  in  the  following 
questions : 

STUDIES 

1.  Weight  of  seed,  average  of  100  seeds. 

2.  Length  of  seeds,  average  of  25  seeds. 

3.  Width  of  seeds,  average  of  25  seeds. 

4.  Shape  of  seeds  (drawing) :  spherical,  flat,  heart-shaped. 

5.  Color. 

6.  Hardness:    soft,  medium,  hard,  brittle. 

7.  Covering :  glume,  pod.     If  a  pod,  what  is  the  shape  ? 

8.  Where  is  the  embryo  located  ?     Make  a  drawing  to  show. 

9.  What  are  some  of  the  impurities?     (Farmers'  Bulletin, 
Adulteration  of  Seeds,  No.  382.) 

10.  What  is  the  scientific  name  for  the  plants  studied  ? 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2. 
Hunt's  Cereals  in  America. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  382. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  374. 

Lyon  and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  Grains,  pp.  87-93 
(very  good). 


34  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 


BLACK  SEED 
ROUND  SEED  FLAT  SEED  OBLONG  SEED         ANGULAR  SEED  SLENDER  SEED 


Raji 


Red  Kafir  Red  Dent  Corn          Red  Pole  Bean 

BROWN  SEED 


Dwarf  Essex  Rape       Water  Melon  Black  Cow  Pea  Bind   Weed  Chervil 

RED  SEED 


Indian  Hemp 


Cabbage  Beggar  Ticks  Buckwheat  Spanish'Needles 

REDDISH  BROWN 


Red  Ripper  Cow  Pea       Curled  Dock  Alfllaria 

WHITE 


WhiteMilo  Squash 


Black  Eye  Cow  Pea 
YELLOW  SHADES 


Saffron  Curled  Lettuce 


Yellow  Soy  Bean         Yellow  Dent  Corn  Wheat 

SEED  MOUNTS 


Proso  Millet 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  35 

PRACTICUM  NO.  26 

Object.     Identification  of  Legume  Seeds  and  their  Impurities. 
Materials.     Impure  samples  of  market  legume  seeds. 

Method.  From  the  sample  supplied,  which  is  a  mixed  sample 
of  legume  seeds  and  the  common  impurities  found  in  the  legumes 
on  the  market,  separate  the  impure  seeds  from  the  sample 
and  give  the  name  and  description  of  each. 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  428,  Testing  of  Farm  Seeds. 

Hunt's  Forage  and  Fiber  Crops. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  374. 

Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Bulletin,  No.  175. 


36  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  27 
Object.     Classifying  Impurities  in  Grass  Seeds. 

Materials.  One  or  more  market  samples  of  any  of  the 
grass  seeds  mixed  with  some  of  the  weed  seeds  which  are  com- 
monly found  in  the  meadows. 

Method.  Separate  the  foreign  seeds  from  the  sample,  and 
identify  by  drawings  or  by  description. 

REFERENCES 

Michigan  Station  Bulletin  No.  260. 

Iowa  Station  Bulletin,  Vitality,  Adulteration,  and  Impurities  of  Alfalfa 

and  Timothy  Seeds,  No.  88. 

Ohio  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  175. 
Lyon  and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  Grains,  pp.  87-93. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  37 

PRACTICUM  NO.  28 

Object.     A  Study  of  Some  of  the  More  Common  Weeds. 

Materials.  Dried  samples  of  weeds.  It  is  better,  when 
possible,  to  do  the  work  in  the  field. 

Method.  Examine  each  of  the  following  weeds  and  answer 
the  questions  as  given  below :  chess  or  cheat  grass,  dandelion, 
sweet  clover,  sour  dock,  Australian  salt  bush,  mustard,  John- 
son grass,  crab  grass.  Others  may  be  added  when  deemed 
advisable. 

STUDIES 

1 .  Is  it  an  herb  or  a  shrub  ? 

2.  Is  it  an  annual,  biennial,  or  perennial  ? 

3.  Root :   fibrous,  tap,  rhizoidous,  fleshy,  stout. 

4.  How  deeply  do  the  roots  penetrate  ? 

5.  Is  it  a  drooping  or  an  erect  plant  ? 

6.  To  what  group  of  plants  is  it  closely  related  ? 

7.  Why  has  this  plant  become  a  weed  ? 

8.  Is  it  bitter,  or  tough?     Would  stock  eat  it? 

9.  In  what  particular  is  it  different  from  its  relatives  ? 

10.  Leaves :  broad,  drooping,  narrow,  erect,  glabrous,  hairy. 

1 1 .  Do  its  seeds  have  arrangements  for  transportation  ? 

12.  Would  you  judge  it  to  be  easily  krlled  by  plowing? 

13.  Would  you  judge  it  to  be  easily  killed  by  spraying? 

14.  Discuss  and  give  methods  for  eradication. 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2. 

Hunt's  Cereals  in  America. 

Ohio  Bulletin  No.  175. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  219. 


38  LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  29 

Object.  A  Study  of  the  Characteristics  of  Some  of  the  Com- 
mon Legume  Seeds. 

Materials.  Four-ounce  samples  of  the  following  legume 
seeds :  alfalfa,  red  clover,  white  clover,  alsike  clover,  vetch, 
Canada  field  peas,  navy  beans,  crimson  clover,  cowpeas, 
lespedeza ;  disect  lens. 

Method.  Tabulate  the  examination  in  the  notebook  as 
follows : 

STUDIES 

1.  Seed,   viewed  from  the  two  largest  diameters:    round, 
oval,  elliptical,  kidney-shaped. 

2.  Seed,  viewed    from  the  two  smallest  diameters :    round, 
oval,  flat. 

3.  Seed,  length  of  largest  diameter, 

4.  Seed :  orange,  black,   yellowish  brown,   yellow,   reddish, 
red,  green,  yellowish  green. 

5.  Hilum :  round,  oval,  elongated. 

6.  Radicle:  more  than  half  of  the  edge,  half  of  the  edge, 
less  than  half  of  the  edge. 

7.  Radicle :   tip  prominent,  tip  not  prominent. 

8.  How  many  weed  seeds  in  each  pound  of  the  varieties 
examined  ? 

9.  What  characteristics  serve  to  identify  each  species  ? 

REFERENCES 

Hunt's  Forage  and  Fiber  Crops,  p.  150. 

Lyon  and  Montgomery's  Examining  and  Grading  Grains,  pp.  87-93. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  39 

PRACTICUM  NO.  30 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Alfalfa  Plant. 
Materials.     A  field  study  of  the  plants  and  reference  work. 

Method.     Examine  the  plants  in  the  field  and  write  the 
description  of  them  as  suggested  by  the  outline  given  here. 

STUDIES 

1 .  How  does  the  alfalfa  produce  the  second  crop  of  hay  ? 

2.  Is  there  any  indication  of  this  new  growth  at  present  ? 

3.  How  do  alfalfa  leaves  differ  from  clover  leaves  ? 

4.  Make  a  drawing  of  the  alfalfa  leaf. 

5.  Count  the  leaves  on  ten  stems  of  the  alfalfa  plant.     On 
an  average,  how  many  leaves  are  there  for  each  stem?    On 
an  average,  how  many  stems  to  a  plant  ? 

6.  How  many  plants  to  the  square  yard  of  ground  ? 

7.  What  are  the  most  dangerous  weeds  present  in  each  of 
the  fields  examined? 

8.  Would  you  consider  this  a  good  stand  of  alfalfa  ? 

REFERENCES 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  278-291. 
Ohio  Bulletin  No.  175. 


40  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD    CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   31 

Object.     An  Examination  of  Commercial  Clover  Seeds. 
Materials.     Samples  of  commercial  clover  seed. 

Method.  Weigh  out  five  grams  of  each  sample  of  seeds, 
separate  the  sample  into  three  parts,  pure  seeds,  weed  seed, 
and  inert  matter.  Make  a  germination  test  of  the  clover  seed 
by  placing  one  hundred  seeds  in  the  germinator  and  leaving  it 
for  five  days. 

Tabulate  the  results  in  the  notebook  as  suggested  by  this 
outline : 

STUDIES 

Total  weight  of  seeds. 

Weight  of  pure  clover. 

Number  of  weed  seeds  per  pound. 

Weight  of  weed  seed,  milligrams. 

Weight  of  inert  matter,  milligrams. 

Pure  seed % 

Weed  seed % 

Inert  matter        .     .     .     .     % 

Germination % 

Pure  viable  seeds     .     .     .     % 

Sample  1,  costs i  per  pound. 

Sample  2,  costs i  per  pound. 

What  is  the  actual  cost  per  bushel  of  pure  viable  seed  in 
each  sample  ? 

If  sown  at  the  rate  of  nine  pounds  per  acre,  how  many  weed 
seeds  per  acre  would  be  sown  in  each  case  ? 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  41 

PRACTICUM  NO.  32 

Object.     An  Examination  of  Commercial  Alfalfa  Seed. 
Materials.     Samples  of  commercial  alfalfa  seed. 

Method.     Follow  the  same  method  here  as  given  for  the 
examination  of  commercial  clover  seed  in  Practicum  No.  31. 

STUDIES 

If  sown  at  the  rate  of  18  pounds  per  acre,  calculate  the  num- 
ber of  weed  seeds  sown  to  the  acre. 

Report  on  Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  339,  428. 

1.  Where  in  the  United  States  is  most  of  the  alfalfa  seed 
produced  ? 

2.  Are  there  any  imports  ?     If  so,  from  where  ? 

3.  What  are  some  of  the  common  impurities? 

4.  What  is  the  color  of  good  seed  ? 

5.  What  is  used  to  adulterate  alfalfa  seed  ? 

REFERENCES 
Ohio  Bulletin  No.  175. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  287. 


42  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  33 

Object.     A  Study  of  Permanent  Pasture  Grasses. 
Materials.     Grass  plats  or  fresh  samples  of  the  grasses. 

Method.     Arrange  in  tabular  form  the  following  informa- 
tion on  the  grasses  given  to  consider : 

1.  Botanical  name. 

2.  Foliage  :  large,  abundant,  fine,  scarce. 

3.  Foliage :  tall,  low,  erect,  drooping. 

4.  Fibrous  rooted  :  stoloniferous,  rhizome. 

5.  Inflorescence :  spike,  panicle. 

6.  Tufted,  tillering,  sod  forming. 

7.  Easily  killed  out,  difficult  to  kill  out. 

8.  Grasses  to  be   studied :  Kentucky   blue  grass,   orchard 
grass,  brome  grass,  tall,  oat  grass,  meadow  fescue,  timothy, 
red  top,  English,  rye  grass,  Bermuda  grass,  Italian  rye  grass. 

STUDIES 

1.  What  influence  does  the  variety  of  plants  have  on  the 
value  of  pasture  lands  ? 

2.  What     are     the     advantages     and     the     disadvantages 
of    planting    grasses     in    mixtures?       (Hunt's    Forage    and 
Fiber    Crops,    p.    21 ;     Livingston's    Field    Crop    Production, 
p.  371.) 

3.  How  many  plants  to  the  acre  are  desired  in  pasture  lands 
and  how  many  seeds  should  be  sown  to  secure  this?     (See 
Hunt's  Forage  and  Fiber  Crops,  pp.  12-13 ;  Bailey's  Cyclopedia 
of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  p.  439;  Livingston's  Field 
Crop  Production,  p.  372.) 

4.  Name  four  factors  to  be  considered  in  choosing  varieties 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  43 

for  mixtures.     (Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture, 
Vol.  2,  pp.  437-438.) 

5.  Give  three  ways  of  improving  worn-out  or  run-down 
pasture  lands.  (Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture, 
Vol.  2,  p.  442;  Hunt's  Forage  and  Fiber  Crops;  Livingston's 
Field  Crop  Production,  p.  378.) 


44  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  34 

Object.     A  Study  of  the  Vegetative  Portions  of  the  Common 
Grasses. 

Materials.     The  grasses  in  the  field  or  on  the  agrostology 
plots. 

Method.     Make  observations  and  tabulate  the  descriptions 
in  the  notebook,  according  to  the  following  plan  : 

1.  Scientific  name. 

2.  Common  name. 

3.  Where  found. 

4.  Leaf  sheath :  round,  partly  split,  entire.     Leaf  sheath : 
length,  from inches  to inches. 

5.  Ligule:    long,    medium,    short,    acute    pointed,    obtuse 
pointed,  truncate,  rectangular,  serrated  edges,  not  serrated. 

6.  Leaf  blade :  erect,  ascending   drooping,  smooth,  downy, 
rough,  rolled  or  convolute  in  the  bud,  folded  or  conduplicate 
in  the  bud. 

7.  Color  leaf  blade Length inches  to 

inches. 

8.  Leaf  blade  :  length inches  to inches. 

9.  Midrib :  prominent,  medium,  small. 

10.  End  of  blade :    acuminate ;   tapering,   obtuse,  parallel- 
sided. 

11.  Lower  internode:  normal,  thickened. 

12.  Habit  of  growth :  number  of  stolons,  short  stolons,  long 
stolons. 

13.  What  characters  serve  to  identify  this  grass  ? 

REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  5-11. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  45 

PRACTICUM  NO.  35 

Object.     A  Study  of  Commercial  Timothy  Seed. 
Materials.     Samples  of  commercial  timothy  seed. 

Method.  Weigh  out  two  and  one-half  grams  of  timothy 
seed.  Separate  the  pure  timothy  from  the  inert  matter,  and 
the  impure  seeds  and  weed  seeds.  Place  100  timothy -seeds  in 
a  germinator,  and  leave  for  about  14  days,  examining  them  at 
intervals  of  24  hours,  until  they  commence  to  germinate. 
Tabulate  the  data  in  the  notebooks  for  this,  as  you  did  for 
similar  work  on  the  legume  seeds. 

Weight  of  sample Milligram 

Weight  of  pure  timothy Milligram 

Weight  of  inert  matter Milligram 

Weight  of  weed  seeds Milligram 

Pure  timothy Percent 

Inert  matter Percent 

Weed  seeds Percent 

Germination  of  pure  timothy Percent 

Pure  viable  seed  of  timothy Percent 

STUDIES 

If  this  sample  sold  for  $9.00  for  45  pounds,  what  did  the  pure 
viable  timothy  seed  cost  per  bushel  ? 


46  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.   36 
Object.     Examination  of  Some  of  the  Common  Legumes. 

Materials.  Field  work  on  growing  plants,  or  material  from 
the  agrostology  plots. 

Method.  Make  an  examination  of  the  following  legumes 
grown  in  your  section,  and  report  as  outlined  below.  Tabu- 
late the  results  in  your  notebook :  White  clover,  Sweet  clover, 
Redcclover,  Alfalfa,  Vetch,  Peas. 

(Other  legumes  may  be  substituted  or  added.) 

1.  Make  a  sketch  of  the  leaf  to  show  the  shape,  size,  etc. 

2.  Root :  tap,  fibrous,  rhizoidous. 

3.  Root :  long,  medium,  shallow. 

4.  Annual,  biennial,  perennial. 

5.  Foliage  :  large,  scarce,  abundant. 

6.  Stems  :  large,  small,  coarse. 

7.  Stems :  sweet,  bitter,  acrid. 
>     8.   Shape  of  nodules. 

9.  Nodules  :  numerous,  scarce,  large,  small. 

10.  Where  are  the  nodules  formed,  —  tap,  fibrous,  feeding 
roots  ? 

STUDIES 

1 .  What  causes  these  nodules  on  legumes  ? 

2.  Of  what  advantage  are  the  nodules  to  the  alfalfa  ? 

3.  The   same   bacteria   will   not    infect   all    legumes;  what 
would  you  advise  for  inoculation  ? 

4.  Name  the  legumes  best  adapted  to  the  following  sections 
of   the    United    States  and   tell  why:  Southeastern,  Central, 
Southern,  New  England,  Atlantic,  Pacific  Coast. 

5.  Name  and  give  the  methods  for  three  ways  of  inocula- 
tion. 


LABORATORY   MAN'UAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS  47 

6.  Give  a  suitable  rotation  using  red  clover  as  the  legume 
crop  for  your  section  of  the  state. 

7.  Actual  problems  on  suggestive  rotations  for  near-by  farms 
may  be  carried  out  very  satisfactorily  by  taking  the  class  out  to 
study  the  problem  and  allowing  them  to  make  suggestions. 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  339. 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  445. 

Illinois  Bulletin  No.  134. 

Ohio  Bulletin  No.  142. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  23,  247-250. 


48  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  37 

Object.     A  Study  of  the  Characteristics  of  Some  of  the  Com- 
mon Grass  Seeds. 

Materials.     Eight  four-ounce  samples  of  the  grass  seeds, 
hand  lens. 

Method.     Examine  the  grass  seeds  and  tabulate  the  in- 
formation asked  for  below. 

1.  Flowering  glume : 

Length,  average  of  five. 

Blunt,  pointed. 

Straight,  curved. 

Awned,  awnless. 

Color  :  red,  brown,  silver. 

Hyaline,  chartaceous. 

Keel :  prominent,  medium,  absent. 

Keel :  smooth,  hairy. 

Adherence  :  strong,  medium,  weak. 

2.  Rachilla: 

Long,  short,  variable. 

Slender,  broad. 

Smooth,  hairy. 

Standing  away,  compressed  to  the  palea. 

Absent. 

3.  Give  the  most  important  character  for  identification  of 
each  variety  studied. 

REFERENCES 

Hunt's  Forage  and  Fiber  Crops. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  Agriculture,  Vol.  2. 

Lyon  and  Montgomery's   Examining  and  Grading  Grains,  pp.  87-93. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  49 

PRACTICUM  NO.  38 
Object.     A  Study  of  Root  Crops. 
Materials.     Reference  work. 

Method.     Write  up  the  answers  and  descriptions  in  your 
notebook. 

1.  What  plants  are  included  under  root  crops?    What  are 
their  principal  uses?     Name  five  principal  states  noted  for 
root  crop  production. 

2.  Name  the  four  types  of  beets,  and  tell  for  what  each  one 
is  used. 

3.  Describe  the  culture  of  the  beet  as  to  the  following :  soil, 
amount  of  seed,  method  of  seeding,  cultivation,  harvesting. 

4.  Describe  the  culture  of  carrots  in  the  same  way  as  for 
beets. 

5.  Give  a  botanical  description  of  the  rape  plant  and  com- 
pare with  the  kale  plant.     Explain  the  uses  of  each  of  these. 
In  what  part  of  the  United  States  are  they  mostly  grown  ? 

6.  Explain  the  difference  between  a  root  and  a  tuber. 

7.  Give  the  principal  botanical  characters  of  the  potato 
and  the  history  of  its  cultivation. 

8.  What  plants  are  closely  related  to  the  potato  ? 

9.  What  country  is  the  largest  producer  of  the  potato  ? 

REFERENCES 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  Bulletin  No.  164. 
Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  Agriculture,  pp.  539-550. 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  359-363. 


50  LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 


PRACTICUM  NO.  39 

Object.     The    Use  of  the  Potato  and  the  Qualities  of  Good 
Seed. 

Materials.     Reference  work. 

Method.     Answer  all  questions  and  give  all  discussions  in 
full  in  your  notebooks. 

1.  Name  five  plants  belonging  to  the  same  family  as  the 
potato.     (Gray's  Botany.) 

2.  Discuss  the   following   factors  as   influences   on   potato 
yields :  purity    of    seed,    productive    parents,    immaturity    of 
seed,  diseased  condition,  amount  per  hill,  storage  of  seed,  size 
of  seed.     (Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  35,  533.) 

3.  Discuss  with  reference  to  the  causes,  the  nature  of  the 
damage,  and  eradication  methods,  the  following  diseases  and 
pests:  late  blight,  blackleg,   Colorado  beetle,   dry  rot,   scab, 
rhizoctonia. 

4.  Discuss  the  importance  of  the  potato  as  a  source  of 
denatured  alcohol,  and  tell  briefly  how  denatured  alcohol  is 
made. 

REFERENCES 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations 

Circular  No.  77,  p.  37. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  519-528. 
Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  35,  533. 
Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  91. 
Farmers  Bulletin,  Denatured  Alcohol,  No.  410. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  51 


PRACTICUM  NO.  40 

Object.  To  Become  Familiar  with  Desirable  Qualities  in 
Market  Potatoes. 

Materials.  Several  ten-tuber  samples  for  scoring  and 
several  different  varieties  for  cooking. 

Method.  Score  all  of  the  ten-tuber  exhibits  and  place  the 
score  according  to  the  score  card  given.  Cook  one  of  each  of 
the  varieties  to  be  tested  for  cooking  qualities  and  test  accord- 
ing to  the  score  card  given. 

POTATO  SCORE  CARD 
10  tubers 

Uniformity  of  exhibit ; 20 

Trueness  to  type 10 

Size  of  tubers 15 

Eyes  :  shallowness,  etc 5 

Shape  of  tuber 10 

Texture  of  the  flesh 5 

Skin  :  smooth,  clean,  clear 5 

Color  of  flesh 5 

Soundness  of  flesh 10 

Freedom  from  surface  blemishes 15 

Total 100 

COOKED  POTATOES 

External  appearance 20 

Quality  and  condition  of  flesh  :  soggy  or  mealy     ...  20 

Color  of  flesh  :  dark  or  light 15 

Flavor 15 

Time  required  for  cooking 10 

Uniformity  of  all  tubers  in  cooking 20 

Total 100 

REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  p.  336. 


52 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 


alii 


THE  TYPES  OF  CORN 

PRACTICUM  NO.  41 
Object.  A  Study  of  Crop  Rotation  Plans. 
Materials.  Reference  work. 

Method.     Consult  the  references  before  making  your  report. 
Discuss  the  following  topics  in  full : 

1.  What  is  crop  rotation  ? 

2.  Where  did  the  scheme  of  crop  rotations  originate  ? 

3.  Name  five  advantages  to  be  gained  through  the  use  of 
crop  rotations. 

4.  Give  and  explain  three  crop  rotations  suitable  for  your 
district,    and    give   details   for   working   this   out.     (Parker's 
Farm  Management  and  Crop  Rotations.) 

REFERENCES 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  p.  120. 
Lowther's  Cyclopedia  of  Horticulture. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD    CROPS  53 

Snyder's  Soils  and  Fertilizers. 

Wilson  and  Warburton's  Farm  Crops. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Year  Book  1907,  pp.  385-398. 

Bureau  of  Plant  Industry  Bulletin  No.  142. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Year  Book  1902,  pp.  519-532. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  14-25. 


54  LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  42 
Object.     A  Study  of  the  Flax. 

Materials.  Dried  culms  of  the  flax,  a  sample  of  mature  seed. 
If  possible  have  an  exhibit  of  the  different  processes  through 
which  the  flax  goes  in  the  manufacture  of  linen. 

Method.  Examine  the  mature  plants  and  describe  by  com- 
paring with  the  other  grain  crops. 

1.  What  parts  are  used  for  the  manufacture  of  the  linen? 

2.  Describe   briefly   the   processes   used    in    obtaining   the 
fibers. 

3.  Examine  samples  of  flax  seed  and  score  according  to  the 
following  score  card : 

Weight  per  bushel 30 

Uniformity 5 

Color 10 

Purity 5 

Plumpness 15 

Luster 5 

Odor 5 

Weed  seed       10 

Dirt        5 

Injured  kernels 2 

Weathering 8 

Total 100 

Explanation  of  the  points  : 

Weight  per  bushel  (56  pounds),  important;  determine  by 
grain  tester. 

Uniformity :  seeds  of  same  shape  and  size. 

Color  :  distinct  for  each  variety. 

Purity:  distinguished  by  size,  shape,  color,  trueness  to 
type. 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  55 

Plumpness :  well  rounded  out  on  both  sides  on  close  ex- 
amination. 

Luster  :  bright  and  shiny. 

Odor :  sweet,  free  from  musty,  bin,  or  off  odors. 

Weed  seed  :  free  from  foreign  seeds. 

Dirt :  foreign  material  should  not  be  present. 

Weathering :  dull  appearance,  stick  together,  objectionable. 

Cut  one  and  one-half  points  for  each  pound  less  than  the 
standard  weight  per  bushel. 

REFERENCES 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  27,  Flax  for  Fiber. 

Farmers'  Bulletin  No.  274,  Flax  Culture. 

Bailey's  Cyclopedia  of  American  Agriculture,  Vol.  2,  pp.  293-394. 

Wilcox  and  Smith's  Cyclopedia  of  Agriculture,  pp.  50-52. 

Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  354-355. 


56  LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 

PRACTICUM  NO.  43 
Object.     A  Study  of  Cotton. 
Materials.     Comb,  tape  measure,  matured  cotton. 

Method.  Study  according  to  the  following  outline.  (Field 
work.) 

Planting :     , 

distance  apart  of  the  rows ft .  in. 

distance  apart  of  the  plants ft in., 

average  of  ten. 

Ground  :  level  or  ridged,  weedy  or  clean,  compact  or  mellow. 

Plants :  tall  or  short,  wide,  medium  or  narrow,  tap-rooted  or 

shallow-rooted,  internodes  long  or  short,  average  length 

inches. 

From  what  point  do  the  fruiting  branches  grow  ? 

Leaves :  lobed  or  entire,  pedicelled  or  sessile,  opposite  or 
alternate,  stipulate  or  not  stipulate. 

Bolls :  average  length  of  ten ;     circumference  of 

ten ;  long  or  short ;  large  or  small ;  pointing  up- 
ward or  downward. 

Carpels  :  heavy  or  thin,  rolled  or  not  rolled,  blunt-pointed  or 
,  sharp-pointed,  average  number. 

Lint :  White,  amber,  or  brown,  ripe  or  unripe,  abundant, 
medium,  or  thin,  clean  or  dirty,  adherence  strong,  medium,  or 
weak. 

Length  of  lint :   inches. 

Comparative  strength  :  weak,  medium,  strong. 

Seed :  large  or  small,  fuzzy  or  smooth ;  if  fuzzy,  white  or 
green ;  if  smooth,  black  or  brown. 

Hilum :  at  the  large  or  small  end  of  seed,  comb  out  the  lint. 
Is  the  longest  at  the  small  end  or  at  the  large  end  of  the  seed  ? 


LABORATORY   MANUAL   IN   FIELD   CROPS  57 

REFERENCES 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Office  of  Experiment  Stations 

Bulletin  No.  33. 

United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  Year  Book  1912. 
Farmers'  Bulletins  Nos.  216,  223,  290,  48,  47,  217. 
C.  P.  Brooks'  Cotton,  Its  Uses  and  Varieties. 


58 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 


Size  of  bolls  (15  points) 


Length  of  lint  (20  points) 


Fineness  of  lint  (10  points) 


Yield  (20  points) 


Uniformity  in  length  of  lint  (7  points) 


Strength  of  lint  (10  points)    .... 


PRACTICUM  NO.  44 
Object.     Judging  Market  Cotton. 
Materials.     Matured  dried  bolls  of  cotton. 

Method.     Use  the  score  card  and    judge  several  different 
samples  of  market  cotton. 

Very  large,  15  points 
Large,  14  points 
Medium,  12  points 
Small,  8  points 
Very  small,  3  points 

2  inches,  20  points 
If  inches,  19  points 
1 1  inches,  18  points 
If  inches,  17  points 
1^  inches,  15  points 
If  nches,  10  points 
.  1  £  inches,  5  points 

Very  fine,  10  points 
Fine,  8  points 
Medium,  6  points 
Coarse,  3  points 

Excellent,  20  points 
Good,  18  points 
Medium,  15  points 
Light  medium,  10  points 
Light,  5  points 

Excellent,  7  points 
Good,  6  points 
Fair,  4  points 
Poor,  2  points 

Very  strong,  10  points 
Strong,  8  points 
Medium,  6  points 
Weak,  3  points 


LABORATORY   MANUAL  IN   FIELD   CROPS 


59 


Percent  of  lint  (18  points) 


33  percent,  18  points 
31-32  percent,  17  points 
29-30  percent,  16  points 
27-28  percent,  15  points 
25-26  percent,  10  points 
23-24  percent,  5  points 


REFERENCE 
Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production,  pp.  336-354. 


APPENDIX 

In  cases  where  the  student  is  given  credit  for  work  done  on 
the  farm  during  the  summer  months,  as  is  already  the  plan 
followed  in  a  few  states,  the  question  presents  itself  as  to  what 
kind  of  work  shall  be  recognized  as  worth  while.  If  it  is  to  be 
connected  with  the  work  in  field  crops  some  of  the  problems 
listed  below  may  be  given  the  student  as  practicums  to  be 
worked  out. 

1.  To  determine  the  effect  of  planting  legumes  on  inoculated 
and  non-inoculated  soil. 

2.  To  keep  a  cost  account  of  one  or  more  crops  for  one  year. 

3.  The  hybridization  of  plant  types. 

4.  The  gathering  and  preservation  of  material  for  use  in  the 
laboratory. 

When  this  kind  of  work  is  pursued  it  is  advisable  that  the 
teacher  outline  the  work  to  be  followed  for  the  year,  supervise 
it  during  the  summer,  and  require  a  written  report  to  be  sub- 
mitted at  the  end  of  the  season. 


61 


WEIGHTS  AND  MEASUREMENTS  WITH 
EQUIVALENTS 

METRIC 

The  gram l  is  the  unit  of  weight. 

Milligram  (mg.)  =  0.001  gram. 

Kilogram  (Kg.  )  =  1000  grams. 
The  liter  2  is  the  unit  of  capacity. 

1  cubic  centimeter  =0.001  liter. 
The  meter  is  the  unit  of  length. 

Millimeter   (mm.)  =  0.001  meter. 

Centimeter  (cm.  )  =  0.01    meter. 

FORMULA 

A  cubic  foot  of  water  weighs  62.42  (approximately  62^)  pounds. 
Area  of  a  cylinder  =  2irrh,  where  h  is  the  height  or  length  of  the  cylinder, 
=  3.1416,  r  =  radius. 
Volume  of  a  cylinder  =  irr2h. 

circumference 
1  he  radius  of  a  circle  =       • 

Circumference  of  a  circle  =  2  irH. 

To  convert  from  C  scale  to  F  scale  multiply  by  f  and  add  32. 

To  convert  from  F  scale  to  C  scale  subtract  32  and  multiply  by  f . 

1  1  gram  =  0.035  of  an  ounce. 
=  0.002  of  a  pound. 

=  1  cubic  centimeter  at  4°  C. 

2  1  liter  =  1.035  (or  approximately  1)  quart. 

62 


WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES   WITH  EQUIVALENTS      63 


LEGAL  WEIGHT  PER  BUSHEL  OF  SEEDS 


STATE 

OR 

TERRITORY 

BARLEY 

03 

fc 

<! 
& 

02 

i 

o 

H 

i 

« 

CLOVER 

H 
g 

1 

UNSHUCKED 
CORN  IN  EAR 

CORN  SHELLED 

H 

& 
fc 
< 

3 

t—< 

e 

0 

00 

£ 

REDTOP 

H 
& 

TIMOTHY 

WHEAT 

Alabama 

40 

60 

70 

75 

56 

32 

60 

56 

60 

Arizona        .     .     . 

40 

60 

54 

32 

56 

60 

Arkansas     ,     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

74 

56 

32 

60 

14 

56 

60 

60 

California    .     .     . 

50 

52 

32 

54 

60 

Colorado     .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Connecticut 

48 

60 

60 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Delaware     .     .     . 

56 

60 

Florida   .... 

48 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

60 

Georgia  .... 

47 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Idaho      .... 

48 

60 

56 

36 

56 

60 

Illinois    .... 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Indiana  .... 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Iowa       .... 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Kansas  .     .     ... 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Kentucky    .     . 

47 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Louisiana    .     . 

32 

14 

56 

32 

32 

60 

Maine     .  •   . 

48 

62 

50 

32 

60 

60 

Maryland    .     . 

26 

Massachusetts 

48 

60 

60 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Michigan     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

14 

56 

45 

60 

Minnesota  .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

14 

56 

45 

60 

Mississippi  . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

72 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Missouri      .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

14 

56 

45 

60 

Montana     .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Nebraska    .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

New  Hampshire  . 

62 

56 

32 

60 

56 

60 

New  Jersey      .     . 

48 

62 

64 

56 

30 

60 

56 

60 

New  York  .     .     . 

48 

60 

60 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

North  Carolina    . 

48 

60 

56 

32 

60 

56 

60 

North  Dakota 

48 

60 

60 

70 

66 

32 

60 

56 

42 

60 

Ohio  ...... 

48 

60 

60 

68 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Oklahoma   .     .     . 

48 

60 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

42 

60 

Oregon   .... 

46 

60 

56 

32 

56 

60 

Pennsylvania  .     . 

47 

60 

56 

32 

56 

60 

Rhode  Island  .     . 

48 

60 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

South  Carolina     . 

South  Dakota 

48 

60 

60 

70 

56 

32 

60 

56 

42 

60 

Tennessee   .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

74 

56 

20 

32 

60 

14 

56 

45 

60 

Texas      .... 

48 

60 

60 

70 

72 

56 

32 

56 

45 

60 

Vermont      .     .     . 

48 

62 

60 

56 

32 

60 

56 

45 

60 

Virginia       .     .     . 

48 

60 

14 

60 

70 

56 

30 

12 

56 

60 

Washington     .     . 

48 

60 

56 

32 

56 

60 

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Livingston's  Field  Crop  Production    424 pages,  $f.40 

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the  field,  of  preparing  the  soil,  of  sowing  the  seed,  of  cultivating 
the  plant,  of  harvesting  the  crop. 

After  an  introductory  view  of  the  whole  field  of  plant  life 
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Deals  with  the  practice  that  underlies  success  in  crop  pro- 
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his  success  in  raising  crops  for  market.  First,  the  nature  of  the 
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Lyon's  Soils  and  Fertilizers  ass pages,  %i.x<> 

The  subject  matter  is  presented  in  simple  non-technical  style 
and  presents  first,  ten  chapters  on  soil,  covering  such  topics  as 
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Soil  Water,  Plant  Food  Materials,  Acid  and  Alkali  Soils.  There 
are  nine  chapters  on  fertilizers.  First  the  four  or  five  general 
types  are  discussed  and  then  such  applied  practice  as  The 
Purchase  and  Mixing,  and  The  Use  of  Fertilizers,  Farm  Manures 
and  Green  Manures  and  Crop  Rotation. 


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King's  The  Soil    .     .  .eo 


King's  The 

King's  Irrigation  and  Drainage       

Lyon,    Fippin   and    Buckman's    Soils:     Their   Properties   and 


Management 


Roberts's  The  Fertility  of  the  Land 
Snyder's  Soils  and  Fertilizers      .     . 

Voorhees's  Fertilizers 

Wheeler's  Manures  and  Fertilizers  . 
Widtsoe's  Dry  Farming     .... 


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Bailey's  Vegetable  Gardening     . 
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ON  FRUIT  GROWING,  ETC.: 

Bailey's  Fruit  Growing 1.75 

Bailey's  Pruning  Manual 2.00 

Card's  Bush  Fruits        1.75 

Lodeman's  Spraying  of  Plants 1.50 

ON   THE  CARE  OF  LIVE  STOCK: 

Jordan's  The  Feeding  of  Animals 1.75 

Lyon's  How  to  Keep  Bees  for  Profit 1.50 

Mayo's  Diseases  of  Animals 1.75 

Phillips's  Beekeeping 2.00 

Valentine's  How  to  Keep  Hens  for  Profit 1.50 

Watson's  Farm  Poultry 1.50 

ON  DAIRY  WORK: 

Eckles's  Dairy  Cattle  and  Milk  Production 1.60 

Snyder's  Dairy  Chemistry i.oo 

Wing's  Milk  and  Its  Products 1.50 

ON  PLANT  DISEASES: 

O'Kane's  Injurious  Insects 2.00 

Slingerland  and  Crosby's  Fruit  Insects 2.00 

Stevens  and  Hall's  Diseases  of  Economic  Plants 2.00 

ON  ECONOMICS  AND  ORGANIZATION: 

Fairchild's  Rural  Wealth  and  Welfare 1.50 

Green's  Law  for  the  American  Farmer 1.5° 

Hunt's  How  to  Choose  a  Farm 2.00 

Ogden's  Rural  Hygiene i-5° 

Roberts's  The  Farmer's  Business  Handbook 1.25 

Weld's  Marketing  of  Farm  Products 1.60 


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